Railroad-switch.



.F 1. SHEEHAN.

RAILROAD SWI TCH. APPLLCATLON FILED JAN. 5. I91? Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. J. SHEEHAN.

RAILROAD SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, 1917.

Patented Apr. 29,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHET 2.

FRANK J'. SHEEHAN, OF CRETE, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

ascent-a.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919.

Application filed January 5, 1917. Serial No. 140,792.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. SHEEHAN,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Crete, in the county of Willand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Railroad-Switches; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The invention relates to improvements in railroad switches.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofrailroad switches and to provide a simple, practical and efiicientrailroad switch of inexpensive, strong and durable construction adaptedto be readily applied to various railroads and capable of enabling theswitch to be readily operated by foot pressure.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and: pointed out in the claimshereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch con structed inaccordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional viewtaken longitudinally of the switch operating mech-- anism,

vFig. 3 isan enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of thesame, illustrating the construction of one of the open ating devices,

Fig. 4: is a transverse sectional View on the line 4.4: of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 55 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal sectional view illustrating thearrangement of the side rack bar,

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 2 illustratingthe arrangment of the foot plate.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating theconstruction for locking the foot plates or pedals.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings. In the accompanying drawings in which isillustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention 11 designates themain rail of a track and 2 the movable switch ralls which are secured bysuitable chairs 3 to a connecting bar 1 extending across the track andprojecting beyond one side thereof and composed of inner and outersections 5 and 6. The sections 5 and 6 are connected between the switchrails by a joint 7 0011- sistmg of overlapped reduced portions pivotallyconnected and adapted to permit independent vertical play of the switchrails to avoid undue strain on the switch operating mechanism. The innersection 5 of the slidable connecting bar extends beneath a platform 8and is provided with a bottom rack 9 meshing with a gear 10 consistingof a spur pinion mounted on a crank 11 having keyed or otherwise securedto it crank disks or elements 12 and 18 provided with crank pins 14 and15 located at spaced points at opposite sides of the vertical plane ofthe crank shaft so that when the crank shaft is rotated one of the crankor wrist pins will be moved downwardly and the other will be carriedupwardly. The crank or wrist pin 14 is connected by a link 16 with theinner arm of the lever 17 pivoted intermediate of its ends at 18 to abracket 19 or other suitable support and connected at its outer arm by apivot 20 to an operating device 21 carrying a pedal or foot plate 22.The other crank or wrist pin 15 is connected by a link 23 with the innerarm of a lever 21 pivoted at an intermediate point at 25 to a bracket 26and connected at its outer end by a pivot 27 to an operating device 28carrying the foot pedal or plate 29. Each of the operating devices issubstantially IL- shaped and has an approximately horizontal arm 30, towhich the foot pedal is connected as illustrated at 31.

One of the treadles or foot plates is adapted to be depressed by thefoot to move the rack bar longitudinally and carry the movable switchrails in one direction and the other plate or treadle is adapted to bedepressed to move the rack bar and the switch rails in the oppositedirection. Any suitable means may be employed for locking the rack 5 baragainst accidental movement and the said rack bar is provided with aside rack 32 preferably formed in one wall of the longitudinal slot 33and meshing with a pinion 34 arranged horizontally and mounted on avertical shaft 35 extending through the platform and carrying a signal36 in the form of a lantern. The platform is provided with guideopenings 37 for the operating devices of the levers and the rack bar isequipped at the bottom of the longitudinal slot 33 with a guide plate 38having a relatively narrow longitudinal slot 39 through which extendsthe lower end of the vertical shaft 35.

The bottom and side rack bars may, however, be mounted in any otherdesired manner as will be readily understood.

- The pedals which are movable in opposite directions are locked intheir lower or depressed position by means of a pair of oppositelymovable catches 40 of approximately L-shape pivoted intermediate of theends of their long arms at 41 on upwardly projecting keeper portions 42of a stand 43 designed to be mounted upon and suitably secured to theplatform 8. The keeper portions 42, which project upwardly, are providedin their top portions with vertical bifurcations or recesses 44 toreceive the pedals 22 and when one of the pedals 22 is in one of therecesses of the keepers 42 of the stand the other pedal is elevated asclearly illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. The catches are providedat their outer ends with short downwardly extending arms which arepivoted at 45 to upwardly extending arms or portions 46 of a slidableoperating bar 47. The keepers 42 are provided at the outer sides oftheir recesses 44 with slots 48 to receive the long 45 arms of thecatches and they have horizontally alined openings 49 located below therecesses and forming guides for the operating rod or bar 47. Theslidable operating rod or bar 47 is provided in its upturned ter- 50minal portions or arms 46 with slots 50 for the reception of the pivots45 of the short arms of the catches. The arms 46 are also provided withoutwardly extending handles or operating portions 51 which may be movedi 55 by the hand or kicked by the foot to effect a sliding of theoperating bar or rod. A move ment of the operating rod or bar in onedirection will raise one of the catches and lower the other and amovement in the opposite direction will produce a reverse movement ofthe catches. To release either of the foot pedals from a lockedposition, the bar 47 is moved in one direction to open the keeper 44having the pedal therein and the other pedal is then pressed downwardlya short distance to elevate the first named pedal from the keeper thuspositioning both of the pedals out of their respective keepers. The bar47 is then moved in a reverse direction opening the other keeper so thaton further downward movement of the second named pedal it moves into itsrespective keeper, and the bar 47 is again moved to close the last namedkeeper, locking said second named pedal against movement. By means ofthe catches the pedals will be prevented from accidentally moving andthe switch rails will be retained in either of their positions.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with switch rails, of a connectingbar secured to the switch rails and extending beyond the same andprovided with a rack having the teeth arranged horizontally, a crankshaft having a pinion meshing with the said teeth and provided withcrank elements having crank portions arranged at spaced points atopposite sides of the vertical plane of the crank shaft and oppositelymovable operating devices connected with the crank portions of the crankelement and provided with pedals or foot plates.

2. The combination with switch rails, of a connecting bar secured to theswitch rails and extending beyond the same and provided with a rackhaving the teeth arranged horizontally, a crank shaft having a pinionmeshing with the said teeth and provided with crank elements havingcrank portions arranged at spaced points at opposite sides of thevertical plane of the crank shaft, levers fulcrumed intermediate oftheir ends and extending longitudinally of the rack bar, linksconnecting one arm of the levers with the crank portions of the crankelements and depressible operating devices connected with the other armsof the said levers and having foot plates or pedals.

3. The combination with switch rails, of a connecting bar secured to theswitch rails and extending beyond the same and provided with a rackhaving the teeth arranged horizontally, a crank shaft having a pinionmesh ing with the said teeth and provided with crank elements havingcrank portions arranged at spaced points at opposite sides of thevertical plane of the crank shaft, levers fulcrumed intermediate oftheir ends and extending longitudinally of the rack bar, linksconnecting one arm of the levers with the crank portions of the crankelements and depressible operating devices connected with the other armsof the said levers and having foot plates or pedals, said operatingdevices being provided with horizontal arms adjustable longitudinally tovary the throw of the operating devices.

4. The combination with switch rails, of a connecting bar extendingbeyond the switch rails and secured to the same, said connecting barbeing provided with rack teeth, a 13 eoeme crank shaft provided with apinion meshing In testimony whereof I afix my signature With the teethof the rack bar, levers fulin presence of two witnesses. crumedintermediate of thelr ends and connected at one end with the crank shaftand FRANK SHEEHAN' depressible operating devices connected withWitnesses:

the other ends of the levers and movable in CHESTER KRAEMER,

opposite directions. FRANK TAYLOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Gommiesioner of Patents. Washington, D. G.

